NC’s Strategic Move: Omar Abdullah to Contest from Ganderbal as Party Rolls Out 32 More Candidates
SRINAGAR, Aug 27: The National Conference (NC) has officially announced that its vice president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will be contesting from the Ganderbal Assembly constituency in the upcoming elections. This announcement was part of the party’s second list of candidates, which includes 32 names, adding to the 18 candidates revealed in the first phase of the three-phased Assembly polls. Omar Abdullah’s candidacy in Ganderbal is significant, as this constituency has historically been an NC stronghold and holds personal importance for him.
The newly released list also features several prominent figures within the party. Mian Mehar Ali, the son of Member of Parliament Mian Altaf Ahmad, will be contesting from Kangan (a seat reserved for Scheduled Tribes). Salam Ali Sagar, son of senior NC leader Ali Mohammad Sagar, is slated to contest from Hazratbal, while Ali Mohammad Sagar himself will run from Khanyar. The list also includes other well-known names such as Shameema Firdous from Habba Kadal, Ahsan Pardesi from Lal Chowk, and Mushtaq Guroo from Chanapora.
In addition to these key constituencies, the list features Tanvir Sadiq for Zadibal, Mubarak Gull for Eidgah, Saif-ud-Din Bhat for Khan Sahib, and Abdul Raheem Rather for Chrar-e-Shareef. Other candidates include Ali Mohammad Dar from Chadoora, Er Khursheed from Gulab Garh (ST), Yashu Vardhan Singh from Kalakote/Sunderbani, and Surinder Chowdary from Nowshera.
The party has strategically placed strong contenders in various regions, including Javid Chowdary from Budhal (ST), Ajaz Ahmad Khan from Poonch Haveli, and Javid Rana from Mendhar (ST). Mir Saifullah will contest from Trehgam, with Nasir Aslam Wani representing Sogam in Kupwara. Qaiser Jamsheed Lone, Chowdary Mohamad Ramzan, Irshad Rasool Kar, and Javid Ahmad Dar will contest from Lolab, Handwara, Sopore, and Rafiabad respectively.
Further north, Dr. Sajad Shafi Uri will represent Uri, while Javid Hussain Beigh will contest from Baramulla. Other key candidates include Farooq Ahmad Shah from Tangmarg, Javid Reyaz Bedar from Pattan, Hilal Akbar Lone from Sonawari, Nazir Ahmad Gurezi from Gurez (ST), and Ajay Kumar Sadhotra from Jammu North.
The NC has decided to field candidates for a total of 51 seats, while the Congress will be contesting 32 seats. In some constituencies, there will be friendly contests between NC and Congress, with five seats seeing such dynamics. Additionally, one seat has been allocated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and another to the Panthers Party, highlighting the coalition strategy adopted by the parties.
